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Let’s Go To The Movies

So let’s discuss movies. Movies previously seen and movies under consideration by yours truly. For the unfamiliar, I should probably explain my criteria for consuming media to provide proper context.

And now for our featured presentations:

The Great Gatsby- I’m a huge Great Gatsby fan personally, in fact it was one the inspirations for my first novel Hollowstone. That said, this new slick stylized is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. And I’m usually down for anything with DiCaprio and Maguire. Think I’m gonna have to pass on this one.

42- I’m kinda undecided about 42. On the one hand it was enjoyable and I applaud the actors but honestly, there was something unsettling about the film and I couldn’t put my finger on it until the date I was with (a cute white guy) helped me figure it out. As my date cheered for the numerous scenes where the white characters made the epiphany that racism was bad, I realized what it was, this was a feel good movie made primarily for white audiences. This wasn’t so much about the life of Jackie Robinson or a truly deep exploration into the lives of blacks of that era, as it was a pat on the back for whites to feel good about themselves for ending racism.

And yet, despite my ambivalent feelings, I still encourage others to see this film. If for no other reason than to encourage more movies like this to be made. I may watch this film again and I reserve the right to completely change my mind on this one.

Iron Man 3- I liked the first Iron Man movie, it was entertaining and that was mainly because of the Avenger hints. That said, I’m probably going to skip Iron Man 3. And most of my friends will be shocked to hear that as much as a comic book geek as I am, I’m probably also going to skip the Captain America and Thor sequels for the same reason. Reason being this:

Of course, I’ve been really impressed with how Robert Downey Jr. has been standing tall for his Avengers castmates to get paid with the Marvel contract negotiation controversy so I may have to reconsider a DVD rental for that alone.

Now You See Me- It appears to have potential. This film strikes me as being immensely cerebral and seriously Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, that’s enough right there to convince me. I’ll have to see this one.

Star Trek: Into The Darkness- It appears the reports are true in that Khan is being whitewashed (frak your spoilers) in the new Star Trek film, Into the Darkness. I guess the latter part didn’t apply to the characters.

Why this was a bad move on Paramount’s part. Because people of color have a miniscule representation in media, whitewashing the few characters of color in existence is always a bad move. Whitewashing characters in Star Trek was the worst move possible and here’s why. Star Trek carries a legacy and a responsibility of being racially progressive and groundbreaking for its era. Even with the TNG and DS9, new ground was broken with marginalized characters taking on very central and leading roles.

The late and talented Ricardo Montalban left us with a legacy in establishing one of the most iconic characters not only in Star Trek but speculative fiction. And said iconic character was a person of color. So no, Star Trek does not get any kudos for me, nor do they get my money. I might check out the film on DVD, if then.

And in case I wasn’t clear, KHAN AIN’T WHITE!!!!!!!!!

G.I. Joe: Retaliation- Real talk, this was the one movie I was looking forward to the most this year. It was wonderful to finally have a person of color as the lead in a comic book film. And my man, the Rock, delivered. This film exceeded all of my expectations and had me cheering. This movie is what the kids would call a flawless victory.

Superman: Man of Steel- Not gonna lie, I can take or leave this film. I loved Superman Returns (YEAH I SAID IT, NOW WHAT?!!!!) which to me was a love letter to the Man of Steel so any other Superman movie is going to be hard to top. But I’ll go see it if for no other reason than the eye candy known as Henry Cavill.

Fast & The Furious 6- This franchise continues to improve with each sequel and the latest installment is no exception. I’ve become a fanboy for this franchise and it’s quickly reaching comic book proportions with the larger than life characters and the epic plots. And speaking of plots, F&F 7: prepare to be transported adrift.

Much Ado About Nothing– Confession time. I am not a Shakespeare fan under any circumstances and try to avoid his work like the proverbial plague. But I will be first in line to see this film simply because Whedon is rocking it. Behold the power of all things Joss.

So here are my thoughts on movie selections. What about you? Any films you’re dying to see?

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7 comments on “Let’s Go To The Movies”

I have seen Iron Man 3, and was both excited and frustrated by Rhodey and Pepper. both were shown to be competent and awesome and to have complicated lives and problems of their own. But we never got to see them, because the story was about Tony.

The best part of the movie as far as I’m concerned was the hints of the two awesome movies we didn’t see: War Machine and Pepper Potts deals with her baggage.

I tend not to go to the pictures, I’d like to pretend it’s for highbrow reasons, but I don’t have the time for it and being stuck in a large room with lots of other people which I’m not allowed to axe-murder annoys me.

I also won’t watch any in the cinema because I’ll lay odds every last one of those films contains a full cast of straight folks.There is, perhaps, a slight chance of one token stereotype, but I doubt we’ll even have that. The whole Star Trek franchise pisses me off to the extreme so I’m giving that a miss. Superman is never my favourite (powering up your protagonist that much is dull) and I’ll wait until I can see Iron Man at home

I almost never see movies anymore, because we have a two-year-old and no grandparents around for free childcare. #firstworldproblems

But I did get a chance to go see No with my wife when we were visiting my parents out of state. It’s pretty intriguing, in my book. Given, that book has a chapter on Latin American geopolitical history.

I’m going to see Man of Steel, but I’m not holding out much hope for me, truth it told. There’s no life or colour to it that I can see in the trailers, and one thing that I’ve always felt about Superman is that he’s not a dour superhero.

That’s Batman.

If I can though, I’ll see about catching Fast and Furious 6. It sounds like a lot of fun, at least.

I enjoyed Iron Man 3 for how it put Tony in a tough place and forced him to rely on himself and his wits instead of his suit. I was also glad to see the movie deal with Tony’s anxiety and PTSD. Plus I found it interesting how it functioned as a commentary on the ‘War On Terror’ as it had the bad guy use people’s perception of blaming ‘the other’ to manipulate both sides of the conflict.

I also enjoyed GI Joe: Retaliation. It was the most comic book-y movie I have ever seen and from someone who watched nearly every superhero that came out in this decade, that’s saying something. It wasn’t as serious as Iron Man 3 (which despite the jokes was serious) and was just pure escapist fantasy; a factor which made the movie more enjoyable for me.

I’m planning to watch 42 but I’ll keep your thoughts on it in mind as well as ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I’m interested in ‘Now You See Me’. I’m not all that excited about ‘Man of Steel’ or ‘Fast and the Furious’. I’ll watch it when I’m bored.

I am not going to watch Star Trek: Into Darkness. I’m obviously not wanted there.